“I am an inspiration to a lot of women out there who think so low of themselves”

Dr. Adedunmola Oluwo is a Medical Doctor and an entrepreneur. Despite her hectic schedule as a doctor, she still runs four different business ventures all at the same time. She is a baker, a makeup artist, a cook, and a hair stylist. Yes… all that while undergoing the gruelling task of going through med school. Dedun’s multi-faceted reach into the world of entrepreneurship was the result of her determination to survive economically – as a student. This grew into something else when the spectrum of services she provided increased, and she became beholden to the needs of her customers. Her work ethic is admirable, and behind it all she says was the unwavering love and support of her mother, brothers and friends. In 2016, Dedun was recognised as the “Young Person of the Year” by the Future Awards. Here is her motivating interview with Women of Rubies.

Childhood
I learnt how to cook from my mum and I learnt how to make hair anytime I visit the salon for my weekly change of hairstyle. So in a way, those two prepared me for Dedun Cooks and Hair by Dedun. The remaining skills were acquired in my late teens and early adulthood years. In terms of the business acumen, I guess I got that from my Mum and brothers. They are all entrepreneurs and my mum did that alongside her tedious job as a Civil Engineer.

More about me
Aside from being a Doctorpreneur, I believe I’m an outgoing and highly driven lady who believes in helping others in a bid for all to achieve one major goal, growth. I’ve been told I’m strict but I’ll prefer to use “disciplined”. I’m my own critic, so before someone tells me something negative about a thing or two I’ve done, I most likely already know and as a result, I can get defensive even when I know I’m wrong. Aside from all these, I’m just a simple lady who loves her faith and strives everyday to always be better than the previous

On being the recipient of the “Young Person of The Year Award” 2016
I was filled with joy to say the least. When I got the phone call, I was in shock and I’m sure the caller must have felt my out pour of emotion. Reason being that I really didn’t think I would ever be nominated for an award in Nigeria that soon, because I was just visiting the country at that time. I also didn’t think my story really reached people like that until the nomination confirmed that. It later got me thinking that if one can focus on what one has to do instead of fighting for recognition, the recognition you deserve will eventually find you.

Inspiration
To be honest, there was no major inspiration to start my first business other than the need for extra stipend. As the business progressed and I branched out to more ventures, the one thing that kept me going was this sentence, “I am not a failure”. I believed every word and used them to push me forward regardless of Medical school and its trials.

What or who inspired me to be “More”
My Family, my faith and myself. I wanted to be more to make my family proud. I wanted to be more because God created me to be a game changer and a shining light. I wanted to be more because I saw the potential in myself and strongly believed that I was not built to be a lazy being.

Greatest reward
The positive feed backs especially when I’m told I’ve turned their thinking capabilities around. When you can think more of yourself, nobody will do it for you and in return, nobody can poison your mind against you.

Challenges
Back in Medical School, my biggest challenge was time management and saying “No” to orders/appointments when I know fully well that I can’t say yes.I just moved back to Nigeria and logistics is killing me. Aside from this, I’m trying to figure out how I can combine everything. It’s a different ball game now and in a way, I have to start from scratch.

My mentorship Programme
I launched a new project in January, the Dr Dedun’s Mentorship Program. After getting loads of requests from potential mentees for mentorship, I figured I should do it the right way. It’s going quite well and it will run in batches for eight weeks. The next batch registration will open in April. Other than that, I’m currently enrolled in the MDCN license program to become a registered Doctor in Nigeria. It’s pretty hectic for me now but after that is over, I will be back to my normal schedule with business and work.

Nigerians view of female entrepreneurs
Men believe women are the weaker sex, they’ve put us in a box that we can’t run businesses, whether small or big, because we are sentimental and not rational. There’s a rise in female entrepreneurs in the country and we will rise to the level that they will finally see that we can run businesses successfully while strutting in heels too.

I am a Woman of Rubies
I am an inspiration to a lot of women out there who think so low of themselves and retract their mind from thinking they can achieve anything they want to. I am an inspiration to students especially female students out there that want to have small businesses while in school but think they can’t do it because of parents, friends, lecturers etc. I am an inspiration to every woman out there that wants to be great, I have paved the way for those behind me to stand up and walk on the road to greatness. My program has made me realize that to be a game changer, you need change agents. I am creating the change agents and I will continue to if I truly want to make a difference in my world.

Advice to Women
Your success solely depends on you but you have to take the first step. As you begin the journey, always remember to take God along and don’t leave anyone that needs you behind. We were all made for greatness, for success, but until you tap into those, you will never accomplish what you were made for, your purpose.